1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to system, method and network device for streaming data from a network and to switching from streaming content to local content in order to reduce data usage, streaming costs, and royalty and licensing costs.
2. Background of the Invention
With the advent and improvement of the Internet, customers are now able to receive data, including music, from one or more servers to their network devices, including their wireless phones, tablets, laptops, desktops and other network devices. The reception of music or other data to network devices, where the music is not permanently downloaded and stored onto the local storage of the network device is referred to as “streaming.” For wireless devices, such streaming occurs through the use of cellular networks or WiFi with associated cellular plan or WiFi costs from cell, cable or Internet service providers. Many cellular data plans and data plans offered by Internet service providers have monthly data limits, which affect even “wired” network devices (e.g., computers connected to an Internet router via Ethernet cables). Unlimited data plans or plans with high data limits increase in cost and are not available in certain areas or through certain providers. A need in the art exists to lower the amount of data streamed over networks, thereby lowering data streaming costs for consumers.
In addition, the music streaming industry has royalty costs associated with streaming of music. Subscription streaming services often pass those costs to the consumers in the subscription fees or through advertising (which increases data usage by consumers and results in additional costs to companies providing such advertising). A need in the art exists to lower royalty costs associated with streaming of music.
The present invention addresses and solves problems of data streaming to network devices by providing a system and method of switching between streaming content and local content. In addition to decreasing network data usage and costs associated therewith, another benefit of the system and method of the present invention is to give the option to the consumers to manage their data usage and allow them the option of playing their own music based on their personal preferences, location (e.g., little to no network availability), familiarity (e.g., providing users with familiar content mixed with new music), and to allow uninterrupted playing of music by substituting local content for which a streaming service lacks licenses or needs to reduce royalty obligations.
The art describes certain systems and methods of streaming music or other data from network servers onto network devices, including a method of switching from streaming content to local content (e.g., U.S. Pat. App. 20100169493 A1—“the '493 application”—the entirely of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference). However, the art deals with switching to local content only when a network interruption is detected and does not provide for methods to switch between network data and local data for other reasons or to reduce data usage or streaming costs by providing a method and system of switching between local and network content. Thus, for example, the '493 application describes a method of receiving a music stream from a server, emitting music from the music stream, and playing a locally stored content, when a network interruption is detected. The described method switches to network streaming when a “network connection is re-established.” The application provides a possible solution to consumers in times of “losses in connectivity” and “network disruptions” and selects locally stored songs based on the loss of network connectivity and on criteria such as whether a particular selection is a “user favorite song, the same artist song, the same genre song” or “a random song” from information obtained from the local playlist. The '493 application does not provide for a system or method of switching between network content and local content when network connectivity is not lost—i.e., for reasons other than loss of connectivity and network disruptions.
Other art describes methods for customizing broadcasted network content based on user criteria and local content but does not provide for a system or method of switching between network content and local content in order to reduce data streaming and royalty costs. (See, e.g., WO 2000052934 A1). Additional art contemplates the reduction of the bandwidth necessary for content streaming and improvement of the quality of experience for the user of streamed content by substituting higher quality local content for lower quality broadcasts. (See, e.g., EP 1364513 A2). Such a system substitutes identical local content for broadcasted content (e.g., using a locally stored song instead of the same streamed song). This art does not, however, disclose switching between network content and local content based on multiple parameters, such as user choice.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for a system and method for controlled switching from network content to local content in order to reduce streaming and royalty costs and allow consumers to select between network content and local content based on their data plans, location, and personal preference (in situations where a user is streaming new and unfamiliar music).